


Confrontation

by ritsuko



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-04
Updated: 2013-06-04
Packaged: 2017-12-13 22:54:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/829795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ritsuko/pseuds/ritsuko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Superman won't acknowledge Conner. Time for the Dark Knight to step in. </p>
<p>First season of Young Justice-ish</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confrontation

It wasn't every day that Superman received a video chat request from Batman. They, after all, had their Justice League communicators which were far quicker and easier to use in public. But, at the moment, he was alone taking care of some of the alien specimens in his 'petting zoo'. Upon hearing the call he quickly flew towards his communications room; after all, one did NOT leave Batman waiting.

He opened the call window and was surprised not only to see Batman sitting at the private desk of Bruce Wayne inside Wayne Industries, but Robin was also sitting casually on the corner of the desk. The night sky of Gotham was lit behind them in the full wall length windows. 

"Hello, Clark." Batman growled behind his stoic demeanor. Robin managed a small wave as he sat kicking his legs back and forth, looking incredibly bored. 

Superman quirked an eyebrow, "Hello, Batman. . . and Robin." He looked back and forth from the two, wondering what this was all about. "What can I help you with?"

Batman grimaced, interlocking his fingers in front of his mouth, elbows on the table. "I think you know what this is about, deep down, and it has to stop." Robin looked away awkwardly, flipping into a handstand on the corner of the table, as if embarrassed to be a part of this conversation.

Superman pointedly looked at Robin and then directly at the man in the cowl. "Are you sure that you don't want to talk about whatever this is in private?" The eye slits in the other mans mask narrowed in irritation. 

"If this was a completely private matter, don't you think that I would have seen to calling you alone?" Clark flinched inwardly at Batman's tone. He didn't know how the other man could be so intimidating, but at least he was getting used to not showing on the outside how awkward it made him feel. The man in black continued. "It's about, Connor, Clark."

The Man of Steel began to feel his first hints of annoyance, first, by Bruce's repeatedly speaking his real name, an offence that the bat himself would never let go once from another league member. 

Secondly, he didn't even want to think about Connor, let alone talk about him. The clone was someone created without his knowing, made him feel as if he had been violated in some way, and wasn't even told until after the fact. He knew that Connor was not going to go away, but it was just too hard to look the boy in the face and not feel a little nauseated by what Cadmus had done without his knowledge.

In the mean time, Robin had done a double somersault over Batman's head, and landed on his feet, staring out the window at the city below. 

"I don't care to talk about this right now."

"Are you ever going to want to talk about this? You need to. You are shirking your responsibility as an adult and letting that boy roam free without a parental figure."

"How am I shirking anything? I never even knew he existed! It's not as if I asked Cadmus to steal my DNA and make a clone of me!" Superman could feel his face clenching into an uncharacteristic glower. "Besides, he has you and Canary looking out for him. That should be more than enough."

Batman glared, and Superman could feel the sting of his scrutiny. "It's not. You know it's not."

"And why do you think that?"

"Because he's made from you, your DNA. You're the closest thing that he has to a living relative."

Clark swallowed. "That doesn't mean anythi-"

"What would you do if another Kryptonian space ship landed? Right now? With some distant relative. . . a cousin. . . an uncle? Would you reject them as well?"

"That's different, and you know it."

"I fail to see the difference. This boy has your DNA. Essentially, he could be your child or a little brother to you. . . and you would throw that away." Batman's gloves dipped for a moment, revealing a downturned mouth radiating dissent. Then they were up again, masking the entirety of his lower mouth, leaving only the fierce eyeholes of the cowl to glower at him.

Superman threw his hands up. "You don't even understand. You don't have anyone coming out of the woodwork with a clone of you! There is no way I can explain this. Clark Kent doesn't have any siblings. And he definitely couldn't have a child Connor's age. There is no way that I can even explain him being related to me!" At these words, he had the distinct feeling that Bruce was rolling his eyes behind the cowl.

"I am sure your parents would disagree with that."

Clark stiffened, speechless. Batman continued.

"Surely the parents that found and raised an alien baby could find in their hearts the love and compassion to treat a teenage boy without a real home and family as one of their own. In fact, I know they would. I am sure they would be ashamed of you." Robin, who was still gazing out upon the city, stiffened behind his mentor. Feeling flustered, Superman could feel himself going red. The worst part was that he knew Bruce was right.

He could see Ma and Pa taking in the boy and giving him a normal life away from being in Mount Justice 24/7 with nothing but the other team members to keep him true company. . . a life away from the costume.

But it was so hard to admit. So hard to let them know that this mistake had been made, that someone had gotten under his radar, created a person without his knowing that would inexplicably be tied to his life whether or not he wanted it for the rest of his life.

". . . look. You are right. I haven't been a good mentor. I haven't been anything to that kid. But what am I supposed to do, just take him in and care for him and let him know everything about me and learn everything about him? Should I let him be a part of the family when who knows if he was going to be some weapon to destroy us all? He might even be the mole on the team that you all are so worried about."

Batman slammed his hands on the table, furious. "Yes, farm boy, and do you know why? Because that kid has proven himself time and time again to be an asset to the team, has continually done nothing but try and be the best that he can be, just so you might notice, just so you might think that you could let him into your life-"

The smaller gloved hand of Robin, laid itself on Batman's shoulder, and the bigger man turned, slightly startled, looking at his protégé. The boy slightly shook his head, looking visibly disturbed. Superman thought that for a moment, the boy looked like he might cry, but the next second it was replaced by a stoic mask that matched his mentor.   
Quickly, he spun back to the window.

Batman turned back to the screen and sighed slightly. "I don't get you. What exactly is it that you are afraid of? Why won't you take a little responsibility? You are the only role model that Connor has, and your actions are showing him that he is not worth the time of a man who has saved countless people. How do you think that makes him feel?"

Clark's heart sank a little at the thought. "It's not the same as you and Robin. You two understand each other; you function as a unit. You care about each other because you've gone through the same trials and tribulations. Connor and I. . . we have nothing. I woke up one day and there was a sixteen year old clone of me. I have no idea what to talk to him about, no idea what to say. I. . . I am afraid. . . to let him know me. . . to have that responsibility. Because what if I fail? What if I don't live up to his expectations, and I'm not good enough in his eyes? It's not that I couldn't find some way of being able to care about him. That would be easy. I. . . I just don't want to let him down and I know already have, just by ignoring him. I don't want to let anyone down. How can I even talk to him now without him hating me completely?"

Uncharacteristically, a wide grin broke out across the Dark Knight's face. "Why don't you tell him right now?" Batman's gloved hands came up to his temples and there was an audible click sound, before the visage of Batman melted away to become that of a smirking Boy Wonder. Clark stared for a moment in confusion at Robin in the chair, before noticing a headband-like device around his head, a new piece of WayneTech technology that Batman had been making for his everlasting fight on crime, one that could make holograms of other people. It wasn't very effective in person, but over, say, a computer, it was sufficient.

"Robin. . .? What on Earth do you think you've. . . " Superman's voice tapered as he stared past the Robin in the chair, over his shoulder, to the one staring out the window. Oh God, it couldn't be, it couldn't be him, he couldn't have heard-

The second Robin shakily raised his hands to his temples, but not much changed. Sure, the boy was now bigger, taller, and wearing jeans, but he still donned red and black. But when he turned, there was no mask. 

Just twin trails of tears on Connor's cheeks, and bright blue eyes, searching for acceptance. "Yes, please. Just talk to me Superman."

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on my DA.   
> http://ritsuko-chan.deviantart.com/art/Confrontation-272295800


End file.
